Sifax Group's Tin Can Port Operations Manager Dies

...As Company Embarks on Enlightenment of Dockworkers

The Terminal Operations Manager of Port and Cargo Terminal, a subsidiary of Sifax Group, Mr. Abiodun Bamidele is dead.

This is even as the company has said that it was embarking on sensitization of all its dockworkers on the need for compliance to the use of working kits known as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) while on duty.

Speaking with Shipping Position Daily at the Sifax Group Corporate Headquarters yesterday, Corporate Affairs Manager, Mr Muyiwa Akande said the deceased staff died of medical complications.

According to him, Bamidele died last week Thursday and was buried on Monday. He disclosed that the Group Executive Vice Chairman of Sifax group, Dr. Taiwo Afolabi as well as the Group Managing Director of the company, Mr Adekunle Oyinloye were with the deceased at the hospital before his death.

Mr. Akande said that in its usual manner, all the hospital bills were taken care of by the company.

"Ever since he died, we have been in contact with the family in terms of planning the burial ceremony, yesterday Monday 15th, the burial was done and it was a sobber time for us"

"Dr. Afolabi has given his word that the family would be taken care of, we don't abandon our people, we took a large chunk of the burial expenses" he said

According to the Sifax Group spokesman, part of the management decision taken at its meeting yesterday was that the company is going through a little bit of restructuring and how to bring more effectiveness into its operations and how to increase the compliance level.

He assured that Ports and Cargo Terminal is going to kick-start some campaign around the terminal so that its workers will understand their own place in terms of their safety.

He said sometimes the dockworkers are always reluctant to use the safety kits provided for them by management.

He said "For instance what about if the company provide the kits and you don't use it? this is why orientation and reorientation must come in.

We are trying to start an enlightenment programme where everybody would be educated, its not like we don't do it, it is part of the key unbundling experience when you are employed into the company.

HSE training is 50% of the training you are given when you are employed"

Personal protective equipment (PPE) includes gloves boots, headgear, nose covers. We take it seriously but day by day we also review our process and think we can still do a lot better'

"We have regulators that regulate our operations but it is our desire that going forward, we must increase, it is not that we are doing badly, but we felt that we can still do a whole lot better in terms of compliance regime"

"For you to know how serious we are about this, the company now has an executive director compliance, we also have a coordinator of compliance whose duty is to ensure that every aspect of the laid down rules of the business are complied with"

"We have a clinic at the terminal to make care of our staff and improve their health, in the next few weeks you will also be seeing improvement in terms of health and safety"